Banks and Gov’t paying millions to Microsoft for extended XP support, instead of switching to Linux.

Sent to Daily Express (8/4/14)

Most people in this country use Microsoft platforms, because they were taught computing on them, at school.

We have committed to Microsoft, as a nation.

I persist with Microsoft, merely because most of the population does, even although, it creates a drain on our personal and National resources.

There are other platforms out there, along with programs such as Open Office.

I find it depressing that The Government has taken the easy option to throw £5.5 million at Microsoft, simply to continue providing support for Windows XP.

Every Windows platform needs patch, upon patch, upon patch, with constant shutdowns and re-starts to instal them.

By now those NHS computers using XP must be so slow as to send their users to sleep.

It would be wonderful, if our Government could invest in a scheme to switch all school computers to Linux and Open Office.

There’d be no need for some costly revamping exercise in State run facilities etc., because, as with Microsoft, as people come out of school into industry/ Government, using these free and continuously evolving systems, the rest of the Nation will adapt.

There’d be an end to these hugely expensive licences, the need to update other software and hardware, which will no longer run (forced obsolence) and best, there’d be less hacking by criminals exploiting the trapdoors etc. that Microsoft artificially embeds in their software.